Fire authority chief calls for unions to stop blocking changes (From Enfield Independent)

War of words over London firefighters' intention to strike

10:30am Saturday 16th October 2010 in News By Tristan Kirk

A SENIOR politician has called for firefighters to accept new shift patterns as the brigade towards a London-wide strike.

Firefighters today resolved to go on strike for eight hours from 10am on Saturday, October 23, and again on Monday, November 1, in a dispute over changes to shift patterns.

Brian Coleman, chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, which governs London Fire Brigade, called for dialogue to resolve the dispute.

He said: “Firefighters are going to be striking over plans to reduce a 15 hour night shift by three hours, and add those three hours to a 9 hour day shift.

“That is all these proposals seek to do, no station closures, no increase in hours and no change to the four day rest period between shifts.

“This is about making more time in the day for vital training and fire prevention work.

“We’ve been discussing this for five years and have offered to compromise, so it’s time for the FBU to stop blocking these changes.”

The union is resisting the changes, saying the move to terminate all firefighter contracts and impose new ones with different shift patterns will compromise working conditions and the effectiveness of the service.

Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, accused fire chiefs of being “pig-headed” and attacked the contingency plan for a strike, by private firm AssetCo, of being “half-hearted and inadequate”.

AssetCo has already withdrawn 27 fire engines across London to prepare for the strike, and will be locating them across the capital to cover the eight-hour walkouts.

Navin Shah, Labour leader on LFEPA, asked on Wednesday for Mayor of London Boris Johnson to intervene in the row to avert the strike, a move the Tory mayor declined to commit to.

Mr Shah said: "Boris Johnson and his Conservative chair of the Fire Authority have been spoiling for a fight with the union, rather than showing the leadership and fostering the good relations that would have best served Londoners.

“They should get round the table now and avoid a strike that nobody wants."